Roxanna, I'm in Texas, so I have a very different environment than you have.

However, after being on this forum for many years, some people in freezing environments have just kept the hosta dry for the winter. The most frequent container seems to have been barrels, if I am remembering correctly. Basically what they do is cover the top, so that no rain gets to the plant - usually plastic with a heavy wooden top, so that no moisture gets to the plant.

It's worked for several people.

Good luck if try it.

bkay

Thank you, bkay! That is definitely something I could do. Happy dance!

Roxanna, you don't have to fill your whole container with potting media. You could put small empty plastic containers or bottles on the bottom; or you could put leaves, or mulch on the bottom too. You could also have a hosta in a pot which you just leave in the pot and add to the container. You could put mulch under and around the hosta pot. You could remove the hosta and pot in the fall and put it in a garage for overwintering. That's just one idea.

Thanks, newhostalady! More ideas to ponder!

Thanks, nicholsworth! The containers I have are giant-sized compared to those, so there is no way I could move them into the garage, But I may just plant them and hope for a good result.

Those hosta in front of your pretty bench are gorgeous!

I am from Florida and I have no idea how to winter plants in your area but in the spring and summer be sure to feed weekly weekly. Slow down when it is extremely hot. Plants in pots do not get everything 'in the ground' plants do. Also make sure to water under the leaves. A few of my hostas will make umbrellas out of themselves so it is best to go under to water. Have fun and Take photos. We want to see your plants in the next alphabet.

thanks roxanna!..those are Junes in front of the bench..I like them too..

I've never tried it but I heard about the pot in pot method that newhostalady mentioned years ago..it's interesting..

Definitely go for it!! I have a bunch in various size containers that do just fine being left outside. Make sure that water can drain out, and cover in winter so they don't get too much water which could cause root damage.

Can't wait to see your pics in next winters alphabet!!

Hello hosta people. Just want to chime in with a warning that you should use a free draining potting mix, no garden soil. I have lost potted hosta that started to come up but got crown rot or something before they fully reestablish and I have been advised that it could be the potting medium. I'm having fun catching up on old posts.

It has been a while Beverly, good to have you pop in. I was wondering where you were and I hope all is well.

I’m in zone 7b or something— we do get some temps to 5-10 degrees for short periods. So a bit warmer than you. I’ve had hostas in pots for decades & no deaths & I leave them out all year.

Another thing you could try if you want to move them to a warmer microclimate near house, is a container insert, like a black grower pot, that you might be able to lift out, especially if using a lighter weight soil mix like 5:1:1 or 3:1:1. It’d still be big though if it’s 24” diameter . It’d be hard to match the container size & shape completely but what I’ve done for some containers is get the best match of the top circumference and some good depth, which for grower pots is usually shaped like a cylinder, and if the decorative container is still deeper/ narrower, just leave that or put in a support like an upside down clay pot.
If you are growing large hostas, their leaves will cover blanket space between the 2 pots ( you have to have room to trap & lift out. )

Thank you to each of you for replying. I am getting excited to try some of your suggestions as soon as it gets a tad warmer than today's 45* and tonight's 28*, lol. It's April 1st, and I am getting antsy to be outside soon and start the growing season in my many gardens... not quite conducive weather for that yet, lol!

I bought bunches of beautiful ceramic pots for hostas last year. I overwintered them in my garage. I am in z6a, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We get plenty of cold here. They did well there. I recently moved them into my sun porch and they are pipping like crazy! The important thing to know about ceramic pots is to keep them dry or they will crack. Also they occasionally need some water so I put small ice cubes on them periodically. Good luck and please share your pictures.
Also, you can look up your up your growing zone on by googling USDA growing zones.

debra

I live in climate zone 5b and have very little trouble keeping my hostas in pint, quart and gallon nursery pots alivee through the winter, I have covered them with leaves, left them uncovered, some pots are tipped over by squirrels and lay on their side all winter and probably 90% come up in spring. I think the worst problem is frozen soil allowing water to stand on top and causing crown rot, but even that happens infrequently.

Ken ~ That is encouraging! I'm wondering if I placed a piece of plywood on top of my very large, immovable pots if that would prevent water standing. Or a thick piece of styrofoam, as a top-insulator? Hmmm.

Sounds possible, and I'm going to experiment. Now to choose which hosta to plant in these. Something nice, but not rare or expensive if it doesn't work out...

Thanks for chiming in!

Have fun with your experiment. I’m not an authority by any means. It just seems that mine come through the winter in whatever situation they are in and we have a lot of fluctuations in our winters here with extreme cold, thaws, snow, rain, you name it. The ones i accidentally left in the greenhouse without watering since November all came up. i think hostas are just hard to kill 😁

Lol, Ken! Killing hostas?! I have dug clumps with the intention of relocating them and left them unplanted for more than a year, fully exposed to the elements without covering the roots at all. They survived, lol. Not the best method, but proves their toughness.

Of course, any prized hostas succumb with this process, and often even with treating them with tenderness is no guarantee! (Witness, for example, my attempt to successfully grow 'Liberty' -- total failure, darn it.)